"Cherish her..."
– Nautica
❀❀❀
~ D O R O T H Y ~
January 1998
When school ends for the day, Jenny and I leave the building together. Earlier today, we decided to have a dinner buffet at Escape tonight with Harris and Luna. Leo can't make it because he is ill today, resting at his home. Nolan and Damien will be joining us though. After saying a quick farewell to Jenny, I make my way to the football pitch.
Expectedly, I see Reece, dressed in a pair of black shorts, a black shirt, knee-high white socks and black trainers. He is making his way towards the pitch. I jog towards him.
"Reece!" I call out, a little breathless.
He stops and turns around to look at me. I stop in front of him.
"Dorothy," he breathes, his dark brown eyes widening. "What brings you here?"
After catching my breath, I stand straight and clear my throat.
"Your failed Trigonometry test brought me here. Mr. Martin says that I have to tutor you," I reply. "Unfortunately."
"You're saying that as if I'm burdening you," he says, crossing his muscular arms.
"Why were you not in Mr. Martin's class today?"
"I had a check-up."
"Oh... How did it go?"
"Not too bad."
How vague, but considering that he is about to go to the football pitch, I'm sure he's doing fine.
"Ok," I reply. "So I'm available during lunchtime–"
"Let's not ruin lunchtime," he says with a small smile.
"Fine, I'm free during the sixth period-"
"I have English."
"Then how about after school ends? The library will be less packed then anyway."
"No. I have football practice."
"Everyday?"
"Most days. I want a fixed schedule with the tutoring."
"Are you purposely trying to make things difficult?" I sigh. "Ever heard of compromise? Let's stick with lunchtime–"
"Oi Reece!" We hear someone yell.
We snap our heads to the source of the masculine voice. One of Reece's team members is waving at him.
"Coming," Reece yells back.
He then looks at me.
"Look, I'll pop by your house later today."
"Oh no no no! You can't just come by my house anytime you feel like it..." The loudness of my voice wanes towards the end of my sentence.
"Why not?" Reece asks. "I thought I was always welcome to come over whenever."
I purse my lips, my mind being sucked down the memory lane.
"Reece, come to my house!"
"Hey Reece, let's have a sleepover at my place!"
"You don't have to ask. Just come over anytime you want."
"My treehouse is your treehouse."
"We can make a secret doorway between our gardens in the fence. I'm not allowed to open the front door without asking mummy, but you can come through the fence into my house anytime!"
"...I... I guess we'll decide later," I say, feeling a bit guilty for making him feel unwelcome.
He looks at me suspiciously, confused by my sudden mood change.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes!"
"...Ok. Practice ends around 5. I can come around to your place for a bit to discuss details at 6?" he asks.
"I won't be home."
"Why not?"
"I'm having dinner with friends."
"Oh."
I sort of feel bad that Damien and Nolan, his two close friends, will be joining us, and not him. But then suddenly, I remember Jenny asking me to invite Reece after he gets back from his 'trip'.
"Actually..." I begin. "You can join if you want?"
"What?"
"Damien and Nolan will be joining us too. It would be pretty rude of me to not invite you when your friends are going. Besides, Jenny had asked me to invite you a while ago. I had forgotten about it until now."
"Well, that's nice of you. Where's the dinner?"
"Escape."
"Sure, I can join. We can go together. I'll drive"
"Oh no, no. Thanks, but it's ok. Mother can–"
"It won't make sense to bother Joanna when I'll be going anyway."
I hate that he has a point.
"Fine," I sigh.
***
Scanning myself in the mirror, I am wearing straight, grey jeans, a thin, white jumper and mismatched socks (I couldn't be bothered to find matching socks, like what's the point of wearing matching socks when no one is going to notice it?). Loosely wrapped around my neck is a black scarf. My brown hair is in a braid, trailing down to just above my torso. I decide not to put any make-up on, as usual.
"Dorothy! Reece is here!" I hear mother yell from downstairs.
"Coming!" I reply, going to my bed to sit down.
I pull out a pair of black, ankle-length boots and slip my feet into them. I leave my room, swiping a black coat from the hook on my bedroom wall on the way. Going down the stairs, I spot Reece standing at the doorway, his hands tucked inside the pockets on his black, denim jacket. His blue denim jacket is unbuttoned, his black shirt visible. Overall, as much as I hate to admit it, he looks handsome.
"Hey," I say.
"Hey," he replies, shooting me an attractive smile.
I think my heart rate just picked up.
"Ok, I'll see you later," I say to mother, waving.
"Ok. Have fun!"
Reece and I walk towards his black car. It's dark and chilly outside. The full moon showers its dull, ominous rays on us.
"You look nice," he says.
"Thank you," I say, feeling... warm and fuzzy by his compliment?
No. I hate this. I refuse to feel flattered by him!
He opens the door for me. Thanking him, I get in and put on my seatbelt. He sits on the driver's seat.
"I'm not a confident driver," he confesses, beginning to drive.
"Yet you wanted me to accompany you?" I say, confused.
"You keep me distracted."
"What? Are you supposed to be distracted when you drive? Because I heard otherwise."
"You distract me from thinking about the bad things that can possibly happen. I am less anxious now."
"How did you even get your license?"
"Luck," he simply says.
"What...?"
"That's a topic to be discussed another time," he says.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm being nosy."
He shakes his head.
"Don't apologise. I like it since it shows that you're curious about me."
"...Geez," I say, rolling my eyes. "Since when did you learn to talk so smoothly?"
"Well, I have been told that I am charming."
"Yea, Linda would tell you that," I say, causing him to chuckle.
"No, she didn't," he says. "You did, actually."
My lips part.
"What? I don't remember."
"I do. 5th April 1988. Our mums took us to the fields. I picked flowers for you and you called me 'charming'."
His words trigger a memory in my head. I remember it now.
"You remember that... very well," I say.
"Our time together is worth remembering."
I hate to admit it, but I feel touched. He treasured our time together, just like I had.
"That's very sweet of you to say," I say.
"Only for you, Dorothy Sherman," he says, glancing at me.
His warm brown eyes capturing my attention.
Suddenly, we hear a pop, and I yelp, shutting my eyes. The car rattles to a halt. When I open my eyes, I gasp when I see Reece's face in front of mine. His right hand is holding onto my shoulder. He is panting, a bit of sweat glistening on his forehead.
"Reece," I whisper, my heart racing. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"I think the tyre bursted," he whispers, his voice hoarse. Slowly, he sits back on his seat, trembling. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I move closer to him, inspecting him.
"Hey Reece. It's ok. Nothing happened. You brought the car to the side. It's fine."
He reaches out and holds onto my hand for comfort and I allow him.
"I just need to catch my breath," he whispers, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes.
There is a moment of silence. He told me that he isn't a confident driver. I guess what happened just now triggered him.
But what I don't understand is why did he take off his seatbelt and move himself to be in front of me? He could have gotten seriously hurt.
"Are you ok?" he asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yes. Are you feeling better?"
He nods, opening his eyes.
"Yeah. I'm going out," he says.
He opens the door, steps out and inspects his car.
"Burst tire," he confirms a short while later.
"Do you have a spare?" I ask, stepping out of the car to inspect as well.
"In the boot. You can wait inside the car while I replace it."
"No, no. I can help." I say.
He turns to face me. His right eyebrow is raised.
Man, he can raise a single eyebrow too?
"You know how to change a tire?" he asks.
"I used to change tires of tractors back at St. Anne's. Now move it, Walker. We're going to be late."
"Yes ma'am," he says, smiling.
Our surrounding gets darker. I look up and my suspicions are proven right. Dark clouds are hovering over us, warning us to find shelter. Reece opens the boot and takes out a tyre and the tools needed. I take off my stiff coat and toss it inside the car. Raindrops hit us lightly.
About a few minutes later, rain pours down heavily.
"Dorothy, I can do the rest on my own. Get in the car," Reece yells over the rain.
"It's ok! It'll be faster if we do it together!" I yell back.
"You'll get sick!"
"Don't worry! I have a tough immune system!"
When we finally replace the tyre successfully, we toss the burst tyre into the boot. I then dash to get into the car, but when I look for Reece, I notice that he is just standing still outside.
"It's raining Reece! We're going to be late!" I yell, opening the car door so that he can hear me. He doesn't move a muscle.
I step out of the car again and near him.
"Why are you not coming in?"
"I have a condition," he says, looking at me. "It's called tarantism."
"What is that? Look Reece, we can talk about it in the car."
"It's a sudden urge to dance."
Then he nears me, his hands reaching out to hold mine.
"...Are you kidding me?" I say in disbelief, pulling my hands away from his.
"I kid you not," he says. "So... Shall we dance, Dorothy?"
"You're actually serious?"
"I very much am. Now, shall we dance?"
"I... I can't dance," I say, rubbing the side of my arm.
"It's alright," he says, reaching his hands out to hold mine again.
Without warning, he pulls me close to him. The front of my body collides with his. He leans his face close to mine.
"No one's watching," he whispers into my ear, causing me to shiver.
He then lifts my hands up and I, hypnotised and curious, allow him to. He brings my left hand to rest on his shoulder before resting his right hand on my back. With his other hand, he intertwines his fingers with mine, making them tingly. He shoots me a playful smile before we fall in step, with him leading the way for my amateur feet.
I laugh nervously at what we are doing. At first, I stumble, but gradually, he and I somehow manage to move in sync. Soon, all the scenery around us dissolves and the sound of the rain hammering tunes out. It's just him and I alone. His chocolate brown eyes are glued to my own.
He then twirls me around before he pulls me close to him again. My breath hitches when I feel his arm wrap around my waist. Uncontrollable and very foreign feelings course through my body. Delicately, he tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. We then stare into each other's eyes, mesmerised.
It's freezing, yet I feel warm. The fact that we danced in the rain on the middle of a random road is ridiculous, yet I find it amusing. Standing before me is Reece Walker, the guy who hurt me, yet the little Dorothy inside me sees the little Reece, and she is so happy to dance with him again after so long.
The sound of a passing car suddenly grabs my attention and I blink, immediately pulling myself away from him. My heart is racing at an unimaginable pace.
Oh, good lord.
"W-We have to go," I say, cursing myself for stuttering.
"...Yea," he says, clearing his throat. "Um, let's get in the car."
I nod, walking to the car. When we are inside, strangely, I don't feel awkward in his presence. Maybe the ability to feel comfort around him has been instilled in me in our childhood. After we buckle out seatbelts, Reece looks at me, his eyes widen, and he looks away quickly.
"What happened?" I say.
"Dorothy... You... Your jumper is...."
I look down and gasp when I see the outline of my black bra underneath my white jumper. I can even see my skin colour as my drenched jumper is clinging onto my skin.
"Oh my god," I say, facing my body the other way, horrified.
I shut my eyes, hugely embarrassed. What do I do? I don't have a spare. Maybe I can wear my coat throughout the buffet? That's not a bad idea, actually.
"Take this," I hear Reece say, breaking my train of thought.
I glance to my right and see only his hand holding a drenched black shirt.
Oh... My... God...
...Is he shirtless right now???
I refuse to look beyond his hand, feeling my cheeks warm.
"We can switch. I will be outside. Don't worry, with the rain this heavy, no one will be able to see you."
Once he hands his shirt to me, he leaves the car, into the pouring rain again.
Embarrassed, yet grateful, I take off my clingy jumper and quickly put on his shirt. While putting on his shirt, I get a whiff of his cologne and I feel like I would melt. When I put it on, I notice that it's pretty loose, as expected. I tap on his window and Reece gets the message, opening the door. I look away from him again, knowing that he is still shirtless. I hand him my jumper and he wears it.
"Hmm... I have never worn white before," he says.
I look at him and burst into laughter again. The jumper is obviously too small for him. As I laugh, I notice how Reece is staring at me. His warm, inquisitive, brown eyes glued to my face and his lips curved into an amused smile.
"No," he says once I stop laughing.
His smile then widens. When his dimples deepen, my fingers itch to poke them, a habit of mine when I was younger.
"Keep on laughing. It sounds beautiful," he continues.
His words take me by surprise.
"Reece," I say, trying to tame my wild heart discreetly.
"Hmm?"
"We are getting late," I say. "Move it."
"Alright."
"Also."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for letting me borrow your shirt."
"Don't mention it."
***
"Sorry, we're late," I say, approaching the table where Jenny is.
"Why are you soaking wet," Jenny says, standing up to hug me but then deciding not to when she notices how drenched I am.
"The tire bursted," I reply.
I had informed Jenny of Reece's attendance over the phone when I reached home. She looks at Reece, who is standing behind me. Her eyes widen before she pulls me closer to her.
"Is he wearing your jumper?"
"I... uh... The rain made my jumper see-through and he offered to switch."
She fans herself.
"Oh em geeeeeee."
"Everything alright here?" I hear Reece say.
Jenny and I pull apart, looking at him as if we had not just talked about him.
"Nope. It's all good. I'm so happy you can join us, Reece," Jenny says, smiling sweetly at him.
"Thanks for inviting me," he says, returning her smile with a small one.
"Everyone has gone to get food. I'm looking after their things," she says, gesturing to the bags and coats hanging from the dining chairs.
"Yoooo Reece," we hear Nolan exclaim.
All of us turn around and see Damien and Nolan approaching us with plates full of food in hand.
"Hey man. The rain got you hard this time," Damien says to Reece.
Damien looks at me and sends me a wink. I roll my eyes at him, earning myself a chuckle from him. Nolan snakes his arm around Reece's shoulders.
"Dude, what's up with the sissy jumper? A little too tight, no?" Nolan says to Reece.
Damien eyes Reece's shirt and then the shirt I'm wearing. A look of realisation crosses his features and his expression... sullens?
"I'm just experimenting," Reece replies to Nolan. "Now will you please excuse us. Dorothy and I are starving."
He places his hand against my back and gently nudges me to walk with him towards the tables where the food is.
"Wait, I'll join you. I forgot to get sour cream for the fish," Nolan says.
"Rookie mistake," Reece comments.
Reece and I pick up plates and examine the food. I see Luna and Harris, putting food onto their plates. I head to the dessert section first to satiate the curiosity of my sweet taste buds.
"There are so many cupcakes," I gush, getting excited. "This one looks pretty."
I pick a cupcake up, but Reece takes the cupcake away from me.
"This one is not for you," he says, placing it on his own plate.
"Hey, why did you take my cupcake?" I whine.
It's insane how after a single drive with Reece could change my way of interacting with him. Like right now, I feel so much lighter around him.
He shakes his head.
"Because it has nuts," he explains.
He then picks up a dark-coloured cupcake and puts it on my plate.
"Try this one. It's chocolate, your favourite flavour," he says.
"I still can't believe that you remember my obsession with chocolate," I mutter.
"Don't underestimate my memory."
"My bad. You remember 5th April. I shouldn't underestimate it."
Reece and I then turn our heads and see Luna and Damien looking at us in disbelief. I don't realise when exactly Luna nears us, but I am not surprised. Wherever Reece is, she will follow.
"What?" we say to them at the same time.
Damien purses his lips while Luna looks away from us with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. Not dwelling too much into their reaction, we continue to put food onto our plates. Reece offers to put my plate on our table so that I can prepare another plate of food, and I accept. I come across Harris, who seems to be in a sullen mood too.
"Harris, everything ok?" I ask.
"Who invited Reece?" he grumbles.
"Jenny asked me to. Why?"
"I can't stand him."
"Why?" I ask, putting small sandwiches on my plate.
"There's something very wrong about him," he says, making me frown.
"What makes you think that way?"
"His mother doesn't work. No one knows where his father is. How does his family even afford to send him to Hampton?"
Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever heard of Linda ever working.
But wait, how does Harris even know about this?
"For all we know, he's probably selling drugs or his own body," he adds in a whisper.
He and I stop what we are doing and look at each other.
His words trigger an emotion which I thought I would never feel towards him.
Annoyance mixed with a bit of anger.
"How can you say that about him, Harris?" I say, trying to sound casual.
"Can you blame me? That guy screams trouble. He isn't right for Luna. He is a player, and like all players, he will get bored of Luna the second after he messes around with her."
"I don't think Reece is like that," I say.
After spending a bit of time with him, I realise that he is not as malicious as Harris is depicting him to be.
"And what makes you think that? You barely know him," I say.
"And you do?" he asks.
"He just doesn't give me that feeling," I say in a whisper.
Before he can say anything, Jenny bumps into us.
"Guys, you've been standing like this for a while. The food will get cold."
"Oh, we were just chatting," I say, trying to be cheerful. Harris nods.
When we sit down at our table, we begin to eat. I am sitting between Damien and Reece. I guess both of them saved this seat for me, waiting for me. That's sweet of them. Luna is sitting next to Reece, but at some moments, I'd catch her eyeing me.
"So, Dorothy," Luna says, grabbing my attention after everyone begins to eat. "When is the date?"
The way she said it so sweetly makes me suspicious of her intentions for tonight.
In my peripheral vision, I notice how Reece's hands freeze.
"What date?" Reece asks, clearing his throat, wary yet composed.
"Why, Dorothy and Damien's date of course," Luna replies, batting her eyelashes at him.
Reece looks at Damien, who is not paying attention to Reece. Damien simply continues to eat, not bothered by the conversation.
Why do I feel uncomfortable about him finding out about my date with Damien all of a sudden?
"Oh, you didn't hear, Reece?" Luna continues. "Oh yes, you were out of London for the last month. It was so romantic, actually. Damien sang a song for her in front of everyone. Poor Dorothy was so embarrassed that she ran out of the room. Damien, the ever romantic, ran after her and he got her to agree. Everyone at Hampton couldn't stop talking about it."
"Is that so," Reece says.
Is it just me, or has the temperature just suddenly dropped?
Jenny looks confused, noticing the tense atmosphere. Harris is focusing on eating his food, refusing to make eye contact with Reece. Nolan... Well, Nolan is too thickheaded to notice anything, mixing mayonnaise and ketchup together with a fish finger, like a kid.
"Excuse me, everyone, I need to go to the ladies' room," Luna then says after a pause of silence, standing up. "Dorothy, will you care to join me please?"
Before I can make an excuse to not join her, she grabs onto my arm. To others, it appears as if she is helping me up. But actually, her grip on my arm is rather tight. Not wanting to create a scene, I give in to her silent demand.
When we enter the ladies' toilets, she roughly let's go of my arm.
"What's going on between you and Reece?" she demands, her blue eyes narrowed.
"Is this why you brought my here harshly?" I say.
"Shut up and answer my question," she growls.
"We're just neighbours," I tell her.
She crosses her arms, her lips pursed in disapproval.
"Really? How odd. Didn't you tell me that you two can't stand each other? Yet here you two are, together!"
Her tone is icy cold. I remain composed, refusing to answer to her.
"Dorothy, I told you what Reece means to me. You bloody know that I love him!"
"I respect that," I say.
"Then why the fuck did you come here with him?" she says, her voice growing louder and harsher. "Why are you wearing a shirt that's clearly too loose for you and why is he wearing a jumper that is too tight for him? Why were you two acting as if you have known each other for years?! You hid the truth from me!"
I remain silent.
"You have Damien. I admit, I was a bit... unhappy about that. Like, how did you manage to conquer Damien in a span of a few weeks when no girl could have a decent conversation with him even after years of effort? But then, I thought, maybe your relationship with him can help me get closer to Reece. But I was wrong about you. Damien isn't enough for you. Oh no, no, no, no. You want more. You want my Reece, you selfish bitch!"
If I had not overheard her conversation with Jenny back in my house, in the bathroom, I would have been very horrified and hurt by her words. But I'm glad I did, because it prepared me. I feel indifferent to everything she just said. Jealousy can ruin relationships, even those as strong as steel. That's what Sister Alexa told me, and she is absolutely right. As I look at Luna's face, her whole aura is screaming 'jealousy'.
"Do you even hear yourself, Luna?" I say, still calm. "You sound insane. I'm leaving."
I try to step pass her, but she grabs onto my shoulder and pushes me, making me stumble back to the wall.
"You're not going anywhere until I'm done," she says.
"What the heck?" I yell.
"Listen here, Dorothy. Call me crazy, call me obsessed, call me whatever the hell you want. I don't give a shit. But don't you dare think about having my Reece. He is mine. I will not let you take him from me. If you do, I will make you regret it."
"How?" I challenge.
She laughs icily.
"Do you honestly think I don't know the reason why you ran away? The real reason."
Suddenly, my heart sinks, my blood running cold.
"You... You don't know. You're lying."
"Am I? You know, I have my sources. I may even have a photo of the... incident."
"...You're bluffing."
"The shower curtain suits you," she says.
It's like someone knocked air out of my lungs, as memories of that dreadful incident flash in my mind.
"...W-What are you going to do with it?"
"I will leak it. But if you listen to me, I will not show it to a single soul. Not even Leo, Jenny, or Harris."
"I will report you."
"To who? And with what proof?"
"You really are horrid," I say, earning a menacing glare from her. "I never even wanted them."
All I want is to get into Imperial and live my dream.
"Not Reece. Not Damien. Heck, not even Nolan!" I continue.
"Then stay away from Reece," she spits.
"I don't even want him!" I repeat. "Now, let me go!"
She finally listens.
"I'm giving you one last chance," she warns before she turns to leave the room.
Before she exits, she turns to face me again.
"Also, don't try to come between me and Jenny. I've noticed how you're trying to get her on your side lately. Think twice before you do anything that I won't like," she threatens, before she slams the door shut behind her, leaving me to deal with the shock and agony.
*~*~*~*~*